HID + reflector question/suggestions?

[blistovmhz]

Before anyone just hops in with the flames, yes I'm aware that lots of guys think HID + reflector is a bad idea. I don't care. I've seen quite a few combinations that worked ridiculously well, threw a very nice pattern with clean top cutoff.

The question is, how did they get this sweet pattern and cutoff?

I've got a set of Kensun Bi-xenon H4 (HB2 9003)'s in my Jeep right now but my extremely shitty reflectors make them look like absolute garbage. The pattern was awful before (with the halogens) and it's just as awful now with the bi-xenons.

I hear lots of guys talk about combinations of bi-xenon with IPF/E-Code and specifically about the Hella's and ARB IPF, but no one ever seems to post pictures to back up their claims, or if they do, they don't actually say which specific reflector or bulb they're running. It's always either pictures OR text, but never both.
W.T.F.?

So that said, does anyone here run a bi-xenon in their Jeep with good results? If so, what's your setup and do you have pictures?

Once I get mine sorted, I'll be sure to show both pictures and write up

p.s. My old stock lights were un-drivably dim so I upgraded to some 55w h4's and new reflectors and that didn't solve the problem at all. I figured maybe it was a wiring issue so I said screw it and ordered the bi-xenon kit as it only uses the stock harness for a hi/lo switch signal, and gets power directly from the battery.
I'd REALLY like to be able to see on the highway. It's embarrassing when a stock civic is behind me on the highway with his low beams on, I have my highs on, and the civic lights cast a Jeep shadow over top of my lights. It's THAT bad. Especially annoying when I've got a 300W light bar up top that lights up the side of a mountain from 2km away, but I can't use it on the street/highway so I'm essentially blind and look forward to traffic tail gating me so I can see the road.

 

[Ben824]

Do all the other drivers on the road a favor and put a couple of these in those housings.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/closeouts/standard-mini-h1-bi-xenon-projectors.html#.VEAi4oc4TzY

Pictures doesn't do it justice how bright and perfect the pattern, throw, and cutoff is.

 

[blistovmhz]

Do all the other drivers on the road a favor and put a couple of these in those housings.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/closeouts/standard-mini-h1-bi-xenon-projectors.html#.VEAi4oc4TzY

I see those are H1 projector housings, but it doesn't say at all what's required to make'm work.
Can't find instructions for this specific product on the site. I'm assuming those two wires coming out of the projectors are the hi/lo switches, and so it doesn't require a bi-xenon bulb, as the housing itself has the actuator in it?

If that's the case, I'd just use my existing relay harness and balasts, and get the projectors, h1 bulbs, and maybe a shroud?

P.S. Any chance we can get some more beam shots somewhere where we can see the spread and cutoff?

 

[Ben824]

It does take H1 bulbs compared to the H4 bulbs you already have.

Its not drop in and will require cutting a hole in the back of the housing so that it can sit deeper in the housing as it is too long to just you the H4 adapter ring.

It does take some work, more than what you have already done, but the final product is soo much better. And you get that nice clean sharp cutoff just like highness cars, better in fact than my Mom's jaguar cutoff.

 

[blistovmhz]

Does look pretty sweet. I'm going to get mine aimed tonight and see how they work out. If I'm spraying the whole highway, I'll grab those projectors.
Thanks.

 

[Talyn]

Before anyone just hops in with the flames, yes I'm aware that lots of guys think HID + reflector is a bad idea. I don't care.

How about No?

 

[blistovmhz]

Well, I took it for a spin and the cutoff was actually pretty decent. The reflectors are awful still, but with the HID in there, I get a nice clean cut off and no one seemed annoyed with me. Are people just ree-tards and don't point their lights correctly? Mine are setup so I can pretty comfortably stand 25-30 ft in front of, and about 2 ft to the driver side of my Jeep with the lows on and not get blinded.

 

[Kumm33]

I have IPFs in mine and I am less than impressed with them. Definitely looking to upgrade to projectors soon.

I never knew the XJ lights were this bad. And to think people were saying what an improvement the IPFs were.

 

[Talyn]

. Are people just ree-tards and don't point their lights correctly?

That and there are retards that put HID bulbs in a housing not designed for HID in the first place.

 

[blistovmhz]

Do all the other drivers on the road a favor and put a couple of these in those housings.

Any chance you've got any pictures showing what you did and what parts were needed for the retrofit? The instructions and all info on those projectors has been removed from their site and the details on the product says it only come with projector housings and nothing else. Don't even know if it comes with mounting hardware .

Also, would be awesome if you could get us a shot of your lights up against a wall or something for comparison. My HID/reflector setup actually worked pretty well and I may roll with it, but projectors would be pretty much "more better".

 

[iwannadie]

Well, I took it for a spin and the cutoff was actually pretty decent. The reflectors are awful still, but with the HID in there, I get a nice clean cut off and no one seemed annoyed with me. Are people just ree-tards and don't point their lights correctly? Mine are setup so I can pretty comfortably stand 25-30 ft in front of, and about 2 ft to the driver side of my Jeep with the lows on and not get blinded.

I give up flashing high beams at people who blind me with poor hid set
ups, whats the point? Dont use hids without proper projectors, no mattee what anyone says they do not work as its not designed to work. Just dont...

 

[blistovmhz]

I give up flashing high beams at people who blind me with poor hid set
ups, whats the point? Dont use hids without proper projectors, no mattee what anyone says they do not work as its not designed to work. Just dont...

Argue if you want, but I drove around for 30 minutes in a city where EVERYONE is always looking for a reason to be pissed off, and I got no complaints. I also pointed my Jeep at my Civic at 15, 25, and 50' away with my Jeep's low's on, and the lights looked no different than stock, other than the ground was much better illuminated.

I'll get some beam shots tonight. As I said, the pattern is awful, but the cutoff is pretty clean and I really don't think I'm annoying any one. Also, EVERYONE in Vancouver/Surrey has HID's, and they annoy the **** out of me almost every time, so I do know what to look for in my Jeep and I'm just not seeing it. Maybe my HID's aren't bright enough . They really don't seem insanely bright. Compared to my 55w halogens that I couldn't actually drive safely with, they're about 3-4x brighter, but that's still piss poor imo.

Oh, also, my HID's aren't just blasting light 360 degrees. They're shielded on the bottom so only the light coming out the top of the bulb actually hits the top of the reflector, so it's all pointing down at the road where it belongs.

 

[FlexdXJ]

That and there are retards that put HID bulbs in a housing not designed for HID in the first place.

I used to be that retard, DON'T DO IT.

 

[Ben824]

It's not the brightness that hurts the eyes, it's the glare. Even if you have them aimed right, because you don't have a true cutoff, the glare can still get you because you dorm have a physical barrier blocking the light.

The parts are retrofit so there isn't a mounting kit or anything. You have to fab it up on your own. I cut out the back of the housing enough for the projector to sit deep enough for the glass on the housing to fit behind it. Because the projector is so long, you have to cut a 3" hole in the sheet metal behind the headlight bucket so that the projector will fit. I used an escutcheon that I got from Home Depot that was an extension. I used JB weld to glue it to the housing and then I could mount the projector in the housing without having to permanently glue the projector to the housing. I did this because I used 55 watt ballasts and the Mini H1 isn't rated for the much power because the heat can cause the reflector in the bowl to peel. It doesn't happen often but if it ever did then I wanted to be able to pull the projector out and replace the bowl of I have to or if I wanted to upgrade the projector to a Mini D2S then I could. It's more involved but the end product is FAR superior to the drop in HID

 

[iwannadie]

Argue if you want, but I drove around for 30 minutes in a city where EVERYONE is always looking for a reason to be pissed off, and I got no complaints. I also pointed my Jeep at my Civic at 15, 25, and 50' away with my Jeep's low's on, and the lights looked no different than stock, other than the ground was much better illuminated.

I'll get some beam shots tonight. As I said, the pattern is awful, but the cutoff is pretty clean and I really don't think I'm annoying any one. Also, EVERYONE in Vancouver/Surrey has HID's, and they annoy the **** out of me almost every time, so I do know what to look for in my Jeep and I'm just not seeing it. Maybe my HID's aren't bright enough . They really don't seem insanely bright. Compared to my 55w halogens that I couldn't actually drive safely with, they're about 3-4x brighter, but that's still piss poor imo.

Oh, also, my HID's aren't just blasting light 360 degrees. They're shielded on the bottom so only the light coming out the top of the bulb actually hits the top of the reflector, so it's all pointing down at the road where it belongs.

Maybe read This.

 

[Kumm33]

Im probably going the MH1 or MD2S route soon. I seriously can't see sh*t with these IPF/Fat Boy combos.

 

[Ben824]

Maybe read This.

I have. His article is completely against use of an HID bulb in a Halogen housing which is what I was saying. HID setups in halogen housings is garbage. I retrofitted a high quality projector into a modified halogen housing and used mechanical mounting instead of glue. I also used a foam seal instead of glue but a butyl rubber sealant like what manufacturers use from the factory is also a great seal and what most retrofitters use. I also properly aligned my lights according to DOT spec.

I have never once had anyone glad their lights at me and I can see the road perfectly! My brother's old Ram with a leveling kit used to get flashed at all the times because the lights weren't realigned.

A properly done HID projector retrofit is the best way to get incredible headlight performance next to some up and coming LED headlight replacement kits like Trucklite or JW SpeakerIup ed e

 

[iwannadie]

I have. His article is completely against use of an HID bulb in a Halogen housing which is what I was saying. HID setups in halogen housings is garbage. I retrofitted a high quality projector into a modified halogen housing and used mechanical mounting instead of glue. I also used a foam seal instead of glue but a butyl rubber sealant like what manufacturers use from the factory is also a great seal and what most retrofitters use. I also properly aligned my lights according to DOT spec.

I have never once had anyone glad their lights at me and I can see the road perfectly! My brother's old Ram with a leveling kit used to get flashed at all the times because the lights weren't realigned.

A properly done HID projector retrofit is the best way to get incredible headlight performance next to some up and coming LED headlight replacement kits like Trucklite or JW SpeakerIup ed e

I didn't reply to anything you said or comment on your setup, I was replying to the OP...